Declaration on Future Sustainability and Decarbonisation

ATR, Airbus, Air France-KLM, Dassault Aviation, Groupe ADP, Safran and Thales welcome the Declaration of Toulouse on future sustainability and decarbonisation of aviation alongside European institutions

  • With this landmark Declaration, Europe becomes the first region worldwide to have reached an agreement between public authorities and private stakeholders on a broad aviation decarbonisation platform
  • ATR, Airbus, Air France-KLM, Dassault Aviation, Groupe ADP, Safran and Thales confirm their commitment to a collective approach to address the challenges of a transition to sustainable aviation

Toulouse, 4 February 2022 – European industry leaders ATR, Airbus, Air France-KLM, Dassault Aviation, Groupe ADP, Safran and Thales welcome the declaration made in Toulouse by the European Commission and Member States under the French EU Presidency.

Together:

We welcome the commitments of the European Commission and Member States to work with the European aviation industry to achieve the decarbonisation of the sector by 2050 in alignment with the Destination 2050 roadmap.

We will continue to invest in the maturation, development and implementation of decarbonisation technologies – notably operations, next-generation aircraft and engines, Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and synthetic fuels – and look to institutions to support the development and deployment of innovations, especially through proven public-private research partnership instruments (such as Clean Aviation, SESAR, and CORAC), as well as appropriate support policies to accelerate fleet renewal and SAF incorporation under viable economic conditions for all stakeholders.

We urge the European Commission to implement the launch of industrial alliances that will be critical to align the entire ecosystem around this joint ambition, particularly the Renewable and Low-Carbon Fuels Value Chain Industrial Alliance, the Alliance for Zero Emission Aviation and the European Raw Materials Alliance.

We also welcome the call for all partners worldwide to work together towards the adoption at the 41st ICAO Assembly of an ambitious long-term aspirational goal (LTAG) for international aviation.

We call for the commitments taken by the European Union to be adopted globally to accelerate the decarbonisation of our industry. In the meantime, we urge the European Union to implement mechanisms to ensure a level playing field and to avoid any carbon leakage linked to distortion of competition among stakeholders within the global aviation ecosystem.

Note to editors:

This common statement highlights the wish to establish a European map defining the volumes of biomass deposit available for the production of SAF, as well as the production capacities of synthetic fuel. It calls for better research on disruptive aeronautical technologies (aircraft, engines), to put in place regulatory mechanisms to facilitate the replacement of aircraft and to pursue initiatives to optimize trajectories and fuel consumption.

Video statement of our CEO Stefano Bortoli:

About ATR

ATR is the world number one regional aircraft manufacturer with its ATR 42 and 72, the best-selling aircraft in the below 90-seat market segment. The unifying vision of the company is to accelerate sustainable connections for people, communities and businesses, no matter how remote. Flown by some 200 airlines in over 100 countries, ATR aircraft opened 160 new routes in 2023, facilitating the development of territories and enabling access to crucial services like healthcare and education. Thanks to ATR’s focus on continuous innovation and the intrinsic efficiency of the turboprop technology, ATR aircraft are the most advanced, versatile, cost-effective and lowest-emission regional aircraft on the market, emitting 45% less CO2 than similar-size regional jets. In January 2022, we flew the first ever commercial aircraft using 100% SAF in both engines. ATR is a joint-venture between Airbus and Leonardo.